Between the lines hockey and baseball

Menu

The Dilemma Between the Pipes

Pardon my absence from my blog as I have been caught up in school work and watching hockey. I have been up to date with everything NHL and MLB. I was watching an New York Islanders game the other day when I was thinking about their recent struggles with goaltending. The Isles continue to be a below average hockey team. As I look at the standings, they are last in their division and 12th in the conference. But when you look at their goaltenders they have the injury-prone Rick Dipietro, Evgeni Nabokov and the newly acquired Tim Thomas.

Now, look back just 5 years. 07/08 was the year. These same three goalies were excellent. Here are the facts to prove it.

Rick Dipietro (This was Rick’s last year before the big injuries kicked in).

26 wins

3707 minutes played (10th in NHL)

NHL All-Star

Evgeni Nabokov (SJ)

46 wins

4560 minutes played (2nd in NHL)

2.14 GAA (3rd in NHL)

NHL All-Star

6 Shutouts (3rd in NHL)

Vezina Trophy finalist

Tim Thomas (BOS)

28 wins

.921 SV%

1595 saves (13th in NHL)

Many other teams struggle with goalie issues some being a positive issue like the problem in Vancouver with two #1 goalies (Schneider, Luongo) they don’t know who to start and when. But other teams have had poor performances this year and in previous years. The Leafs continue to have hard times with their net minders. (Reimer, Scrivens). Ever since Washington traded Semyon Varlamov to the Avalanche, they have not have consistent goal keeping. The Caps are chugging along with Neuvirth and Holtby who have not quite lived up to expectations in 2013. Washington is currently in last in their conference and things are not looking up. A goaltender is a very important part of any team. If your goalie is not playing up to par, well you better have a good offensive team.